The Rise of Afromanga

Immersed since his early childhood in myths and legends from around the world, Loui developed a passion for stories that initially led him to become a writer, only to redirect his path towards drawing, upon discovering the power of Japanese storytelling through the famous manga series, One Piece.

Eager to grasp the essence of manga, he left his homeland of Ghana at the age of 21 to unravel the mystery of “how to tell a good story.” After a short stint at a French manga school, he quickly turned to Japan to learn from several mangakas, and then to the Western world through the works of John Truby and Joseph Campbell. Eventually, he returned to his self-taught roots and embarked on self-publishing his first series, Redflower Stories.

Today, the young French-Ghanaian author invites you to delve into his world, rich in African motifs and legends, fantastical tales of adventure, and voodoo inspired by the stories of his childhood.

Gigi Murakami is a native New Yorker, Ignatz nominated manga artist, illustrator, writer, content creator, and small creative business owner at the intersection of horror media, alternative nerd culture, and (schlocky) film. Her work blends Japanese manga art, vintage grindhouse poster art, and pulp comic aesthetics. She specializes in traditional ink and color illustrations and manga art, focusing on dark, dramatic, and fantastical yet introspective themes.

Greg Anderson Elysée is a Brooklyn born Haitian-American writer, film-maker, model, and educator. He is the writer and creator of the award winning comic book/graphic novel series Is’nana the Were-Spider, a coming of age dark fantasy book about the son of Anansi the Spider, drawing inspiration from Black myths, folklore, and spirituality and has won 7 Glyph Awards. He is also the creator of the sci-fi series Marassa and other works, and is the writer for 133art’s OneNation: Stronghold. He has won a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Award and an In the Margins (ITM) Book Award winner for Best Non-Fiction For Akim Aliu: Dreamer, his very first Scholastic Inc. book. His first webcomic series, Hammer, launched last year and will be released physically this year. This year also saw the release of The Torchbearer for Fairsquare Graphics.